Selector switch cleaner



Jan. 19, 1932. l. GEiTGEY SELECTOR SWITCH CLEANER Filed June 28, 1930 Patented Jan. 19, 1932 n j UNITED STATES InvIN GETTG Y; or ELYRIA, OHIO, ASSIGNOR To THE'ELYRIA TELEPHONE COMPANY,

F ELYR-IA, OHIO, A. CORPORATION OF OHIO PATENT OFFICE r SELECTOR SWITCH CLEANER Application filed June as,

. the cleaning of the contacts has heretofore,

therefore, beena lengthy, laborious and unsatisfactory operation.

An object of myiinvention, therefore, is to provide an improved means for cleaning the contacts of an automatic rotary switch bank. 1

Another object of. my invention is to provideimproved means for more rapidly and more efficiently cleaningtlie stationary contacts of an automatic telephone rotary switch.

Another object of my invention is to provide improved means adapted for ready association with thestationary contacts of an automatic telephone switch of the rotary type for cleaning the contacts thereof.

Another object of my invention is to provide improved means adapted to rapidlly and successively clean the contacts of a rotary switch bank comprising contacts indifferent levels of the bank. 1 i a Another object of my invention is to provide improved cleaning means of the above character adapted-tobe readily substituted in place of the usual switch wipers and wiper shaftof an automatic telephone switch mechanism. p I

Other objects of my invention and the invention itself will be more readily understood by reference to the following description of an embodiment of my invention which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein V Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of an automatic telephone switch supporting panel and associated stationary contact banks sup- 1930. Serial No. 464,640.

ported thereon with the switch wiper plates and operating mechanism therefor removed and a rotatable cleaner and associated parts iiinbodying my invention substituted thereor. i

. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the cleaner parts of Fig l.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 33 of Fig. 1. 1

Fig. 4 is a vertical medialsection of the lower portion of Fig. 1 taken on the line indicated at i4 in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a cleaner blade of the mechanism.

Referring now to all of the different figures of drawings, in all of which like parts are designated by like reference characters, the switch panel is shown at 1 and is, preferably, 'of sheet metal construction, upon which a shelf 2 is rigidly secured extending forwardly therefrom and supporting the switch banks 3 and 4 by rods 5 extending pendantly from the forward lateral portions of theshelf and projecting by a threaded portion therethrough upon which nuts 6 are screw-threaded.

Tubular spacers 7, 8, 9 and 10 are interposed respectively, between the shelf 2 and a switch bank plate 11, between the bank plates 11 and 12, between the bank plates 12 and 13 and between the bank plates 13 and 14. The shorter spacers 9 are preferably in the form of clamps like the clamp 15 at the lower end of the bolt 5.

Between the successive pairs of bank plates 11-12 and 1314-, a pair of stationary switch contact banks 3 and 4 .are mounted, separate bolts 16 being projected through each pair of plates and the interposed contact banks to rigidly secure the plates and banks together. The bolts 16 are insulated from the contacts of the banks 3 and 4:, respectively, and the different contacts of each of these banksare insulated from each of the others by the insulating material shown 95 as extending entirely between the plates of 7 each bank at 19 and elsewhere. 7

The contacts are arranged in rows or banks, to previde any suitable number of contacts in a given row in relative arcuate dis- 100 posit-ion, and any desired number of contacts in each row according to the electrical circuits to be served by an automatic switch mechanism and the wipers therefor, not shown. The switch mechanism and switch wipers not shown preferably comprise a plurality of electrical contact wipers supported by a rotatable shaft (similar to the shaft 21 of the drawings forming part of my cleaner invention and to be described). The said electrical contact wipers are spaced longitudinally on the shaft a distance equal to the distance between corresponding adjacent rows of the above described contacts of the two contact banks, and by rotating the shaft may simultaneously and successively engage successive arcuately disposed stationary contacts of the selected rows of contacts.

The shaft supporting the contacts may be selectively moved longitudinally to position the wiper contacts for engagement with the bank contacts subsequent to rotation of the shaft, and the mechanism for thus controlling the movements of the shaft may comprise pawl and ratchet mechanisms and electroiagnets for operating the same energizable by suitable impulses of current. And said shaft and its said associated mechanism may be mounted on a base generally similar or disposed similarly to the base 18 on the panel 1.

The above briefly described automatic telephone switch and the operation thereof is well known and requires herein no further description.

The bank contacts 3 and 4 of such a typical switch mechanism are commonly disposed in pairs, the individual contacts w and 3 of which are separated by a sheet 24 of insulating material which preferably protrudes beyond the projecting ends of the contacts, there being a plurality such as 10 of each of the contacts 00 and a like number of the contacts y disposed in horizontal arcuate alignment.

In the practice of my invention, when it is desired to clean the contacts of the banks 3 and 4:, the mechanism, above referred to, comprising the ratchet mechanisms, eleetro-magnets, switch wiper plates, supporting shaft for the plates and supporting base therefor are removed from the panel 1 and in the place thereof there is mounted on the panel 1 the switch cleaner parts which will now be described. v

A shaft 21 generally vertically disposed is longitudinally and rotatably mounted in a bearing 22 on a base 18 which may be in the form of a casting and which is adapted to be secured upon the panel 1 as by a screw or screws 23 only one of which is shown. The base 18, being adapted to be mounted on the panel 1 in place of a corresponding base supporting the above referred to switching mechanism may, if desired, employ generally the same securing means as said base. A lever 35 having a handle 34 is rigidly affixed to the shaft 21 by a perforated end 36 of the lever between a nut 37 and a collar 38 whereby the shaft may be manually oscillated about its axis and moved axially bodily to position it. Adjacent the lower end of the shaft 21 is mounted in spaced relation a pair of blade elements 17 one of which is shown individually in Fig. 5. The blade element 17 is preferably formed from sheet metal and has an enlarged end 20 perforated at 25, the enlarged end 20 continuing in a supporting portion 26 extending therefrom spirally outwardly to join with an end portion 39 which is preferably of circular form around the center of the perforation 25. On the supporting portion and adjacent the end 20 is a prong or barb 30.

The blade element 17 is of preferably uniform width and a pair of such blades is adapted to be secured to the shaft 21 in substantially the same spaced relation thereon as a corresponding pair of switch wiper blades comprising part of the telephone switch mechanism above referred to. Each of the blades 17 is telescoped on the shaft and afiixed thereon between a collar 28 on the shaft and a clamping nut 29. The two curved blades are positioned circumferentially on the shaft so that the curved portions thereof register with each other longitudinally of the shaft, and the blades 17 are then provided with a covering or boot 27 of cotton. flannel or like soft cloth material, this being preferably provided as illustrated by telescoping over the ends 39 of the blade 17 the two open ends of a tube of the cloth material by catching or hooking the tube adjacent its open end upon the barbs 3030 to prevent longitudinal displacement of the cloth tubingon the blades.

This flannel or other cloth tubing is of such size as to so snugly fit on the blades 17 as not to be susceptible to longitudinal displacement and is of such wall thickness that when the blade is placed between adjacent contacts 1 and w of adjacent different pairs of contacts of the contact banks 3 and 4, they may rub the exposed surfaces of said contacts to abrasively remove particles of dust and dirt which may have accumulated there on.

The base 18 is secured upon the panel 1, in such position that the cloth-covered blades 17 may be disposed between two adjacent pairs of contacts of the banks 3 and 4 as illustrated and the shaft 24 may be mounted In the operation of my invention, the base 18, shaft 21, cleaning blades 17 including their covers 27, are substituted on the panel 1 for the corresponding base, shaft, wiper shaft to cause the covered cleaning blades 17 to enter the spaces between the stationary contacts of the banks 3 and 4 to wipe and clean opposing surfaces of adjacent contacts or and 3 After cleaning one pair of adjacent contacts, the shaft 21 may be longitudinally moved by the handle 34 to dispose the covered cleaning blades between the next or another adjacent pair of contacts and so on until all of the contacts of the banks have been cleaned.

As an alternative mode of operating the shaft 21, either to rotate it or move it longitudinally, a handle of the wheel or button type 41 may be provided on the upper-extreme end of the shaft 21.

After the cleaning operation has been performed, it will be understood that the base 18 and the cleaner parts associated with it may be removed from the panel 1 and'the switch opera-ting mechanism above referred to replaced on the panel 1.

My invention is not limited to the exact details of construction described. 'For example, it is equally applicable to telephone switches employing one, two, three, or other numbers of banks of switch contacts. And

, various numbers of the covered cleaning blades 17 may be employed, one or 1nore,for each bank. The embodiment of my invention may be otherwise modified and changed without sacrificing its advantages and within the scope of the appended claims.

1 claim:

1. In automatic telephone switch cleaning mechanisms, in combination. with a rotatable shaft adapted to be substituted for the usual wiper carrying switch shaft, a flat blade sup- *ported by said shaft and'having a portion extending to one side thereof and adapted to i be projected between adjacent superposed rows of stationary contacts of said switch when said shaft is rotated, and an abrasive covering for said blade engageable with the said stationary contacts when the blade is projected therebetween.

2. In automatic telephone switch cleaning mechanisms, in combination with a rotatable shaft adapted to be substituted for the usual wiper carrying switch shaft, a flat blade supported by said shaft and having a portion extending to one side thereof and adapted to be projected between adjacent superposed rows of stationary contacts of said switch when said shaft is rotated, and an abrasive covering in the form of a cloth tube snugly fitting over the: blade and secured at least by one end thereto. a

3. In automatic telephone switch cleaning mechanisms, in combination with a'rotatable shaft adapted to be substituted for the usual wiper carrying switch shaft, a pair of flat blades supported on said shaft in longitudi nally spaced relation thereon, eachhaving a portion extending to one side thereof and each adapted to be projected between adjacent superposed rows of stationary contacts of said switch when said shaft is rotated, and a single tube of textile material-having its two ends fitted snugly onto the said blades and secured at its free ends to said blades adjacent'said shaft. 1

4. In combination with an automatic telephone switch mechanism, comprising rotary switch banks in superposed arcuate rows, a shaftjournalled for rotary and longitudinal movements, adapted for disposition coaxially-with said rows of contacts and apai'r of cleaning blades for said contacts supported in longitudinally spaced relationv on said shaft, each adapted for movement between the contacts of adjacent rows when said shaft is rotated, and an abrasive covering for each said blade for making abrasive engagement with the contact surfaces of the said pairs of rows.

5. In combination with an automatic telephone switch mechanism, comprising rotary switch banks in superposed arcuate rows, a

shaft journalled for rotary and longitudinal,

movements, adapted for disposition coaxially with said rows of contacts and a pair of V cleaning blades for said contacts supported in longitudinally spaced relation on said shaft, each adapted for movement between the contacts of adjacent rows when said shaft is rotated, and an abrasive covering for each said blade for making abrasive engagement with the contact surfaces of the said pairs of rows, said covering being in the form of a textile tubetelescoped overthe blades.

6.,In a cleaning mechanism for cleaning the banked arcuately disposed contacts of an automatic telephone switch mechanism, a shaft disposed co-axially with the contacts,

and mounted for rotary and longitudinal movements, a brush for cleaning the contacts supported on the shaft and adapted to be placed between the adjacent contacts on the bank and moved to clean said contacts when the shaft is rotated and adapted to be longitudinally moved to another pair of adjacent contacts by longitudinal movement of the haft: i i

7. In a cleaning mechanism for cleaning the banked arcuately disposed contacts of an automatic telephone switch mechanism, a shaft journaled for rotary and longitudinal movement co-axial with said contacts, a brush mounted on the shaft movable therewith and shaped so as to be projected between adjacent contacts of a bank and to brush the contacts by rotary movement of the shaft and to be withdrawn from the contacts by rotary movement of the shaft and to be moved in position to clean another pair of adjacent contacts of the bank by longitudinal movement of the shaft.

8. In automatic telephone switch cleaning mechanisms, in combination with a rotatable shaft, a blade supported by said shaft having a portion adapted to be projected between rows of stationary contacts of said switch When said shaft is rotated, and an abrasive 35 cleaning element on said blade.

9. In automatic telephone switch cleaning mechanisms, in combination with a rotatable shaft, a blade supported by said shaft having a portion adapted to be projected between 2 rows of stationary contacts of said switch when said shaft is rotated, and a covering for said blade engageable with the said stationary contacts when the blade is projected therebetween.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature this 10th day of June, 1930.

IRVIN GEITGEY.

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